Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1887-05-12
REGULATING COMMERCE.

REGULATING COMMERCE.
The San Francisco Alta, replying to The
REcoRD-UNIoS, says the interstate law
merely nationalizes the common law, and
that it cannot be construed into a meas.
ure to prohibit commerce between States
Nobody cares what the possible construction
of the Law may be, so long as in effect il
does erect prohibitory barriers to free
commerce between the States. That il
does this is no longer an ISSUE The fac,
stares tie community in the face that such
is the result of the enforcement of the
regulating statute.
There is no distinction, of material
value, between inhibiting commerce be
tween the States, and putting protective
tariff upon commerce for the products and
industries of some States, as against the
products and industries of other States
If now it is true that the Act in effec
works interstate protection, then it is IN
American and flies in the very face of tn,
great principal of unity of country ant
people and interests; indeed, it donation
allies the American idea
Let us see what evidences there are o
Its protective character. Passing argu
ment concerning the meanings of word.
and phrases, let US note how it is received
by those it most Immediately affects. In
San Francisco manufacturers of goods
which are sold at rate established by the
competition of like goods in other States
welcome the law as a godsend. Why a?
Because it enables them to exclude the
products of manufacture of other States.
Unless they expected to raise the price OF
the home product to the consumer, there
would be no rejoicing on their part. Here,
then, it works protection to one manu-
facturer and the exclusion of another of a
common country from market theoreti-
cally free to entry by all.
Again, the wool-growers in Ohio hail the
law with delight, because, if rates obtain
in accordance with the strict construction
of the fourth section, California wool will
no longer compete with the Buckeye prod
uct. And so the actual protective charac-
ter of the measure is again exemplified.
The raisin-curers in California find that
under the law, which forces through rail
road freights to the level of local charges,
their occupation is gone. For here is an
industry producing in excess of the home
demand, and to which an outlet is abso-
lutely necessary. As q consequence, the
foreign importer of raisins on the Atlantic
eoast is freed from the competition of the
California grower, and again the consumer
is made to suffer on that side, and the pro-
Queer on this. That is to say, low
through discriminating rate brought the
raisin-curers growths in California to the
doors of the New York market; it annihi-
lated distance and intensified competition.
But the necessitated through high rate not
only restores distance but so far as the
raisin-growers are concerned substitutes
bull teams, and ships and steamers the
Horn around" for the most convenient
and speedy method of transportation that
modern inventive genius has given to man
Again, white lead made in California
under the former rule competed with that
from st. Louis, and there was no possibility
Of p,oponoI,- Of tbo ,.oJa D.. a,
fourth section of the law, the rate on
white lead from St. Louis to California adj.
vanced from ST. to S47, and this amount
ed in arithmetical nicely TO precisely pro.
tective tariff in behalf of white lead manu-.
facturers in California of $50 per ton. In
other words there was erected barrier
$50 high and $50 thick, over which OIL
through which the Eastern manufacturer
must come before the California consume,
can be reached. Now the California pro
ducer is benefited by the barrier unoues
tionably, but how is it with the consumer
who has the Americans inalienable right
to buy at as low figure as he can OF
American producers and where he pleases
within the bounds of the nation. How
about the producer of white lead at the
East who has the inalienable right to sell
in the California market at as low rate
as he chooses?
And again nail goods made here come
in competition with nail goods of the
East, but the law protects the California
producer just 81 so per 100 lbs. If the
protection thus afforded is broken down. il
must be done by using. the long water
route haul, and if that is done the water
route is protected as against the rail route
which is Disseminated against. If this is
free commerce" between States rs con-
templated in the union of States, we fail to
comprehend the meaning of the term.
And this destruction of the vital princi.
pie of all trade, competition, is a derange-
ment of commerce in which the consumer
is the chief sufferer. Turn it as one NAV,
lock at it in all possible lights, and the
fellow who eats, and wears clothing. and
puts roof over his head, or plough
share into the ground, pays for the piping
of the law.